Already a popular choice in Comely Bank, Ronaq Indian restaurant has now opened a second eatery at the New Waverley development on Market Street, adding to the other new bars, hotels, shops, restaurants and cafes that have flocked to the area.

Having lived in Birmingham for 10 years, I like to think that I know a good curry. In reality, I spent most of my student years in that city consuming brightly coloured, sickly-sweet kormas and tikka masalas, rather than the area’s traditional baltis. Thankfully, my horizons have expanded since then, along with my menu choices.

It was a typical Scottish spring evening of gale force winds and driving hail, so the restaurant was a kind of haven in the storm. The attentive staff welcomed their bedraggled guests, took our sodden coats away and presented us with long and tempting menus. We soon felt rather smug, cosy in our glass bubble, tucking into Kingfisher lager and poppadoms, as we watched the rain beating on the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and commuters battling the conditions outside.

Choosing what to have took some time, the options are so interesting and varied. There really is something for everyone, whether you’re a no-fuss pakora and lamb rogan josh type, or prefer to try something new. Like many Indian restaurants, Ronaq offers a long list of vegetarian options, alongside separate sections for classic curries and a wide variety of specialties, inspired by Punjabi, Kashmiri, Indian and Bangladeshi cuisines.

For starters we chose chicken pakora and king prawn tikka, the latter of which was really exceptional and absolutely melted in the mouth. For mains, we wanted to mix the familiar with something a little different, so opted for the Punjabi Murgh Chicken Biryani and the Peshwari Gosht (lamb chops). Both dishes were delicious, with a perfect balance of spices and just the right amount of heat. Although the food portions did not look very large on arrival, we were soon completely stuffed and could only manage to share a mango kulfi afterwards, despite the good range of familiar and traditional Indian desserts on offer.

Ronaq is a perfect addition to the New Waverley development. In an ideal central location and with its refined approach to Indian dining, the restaurant will have a vital part to play in breathing new life into this previously neglected part of the Old Town.